Where We Begin
by Alasia Moonstalker
Summary: He was supposed to die, but his soul called out. By answering she changed time, and now she must go after the Dark Lady she fights before the Lady and Sauron become allies.
1. Close My Eyes

**Where We Begin**   
_Chapter One:_

_"I cannot close my eyes and make it all go away."_

_"Momma?"_

_The little girl was scared, frightened of something she could not see, touch, smell or taste. There was silence on the wind that hung over the small house like a plague, bringing with it a sense of doom. She was inside, waiting. Her mother had been all right this morning when she'd gone outside to play. She didn't understand what was happening._

_"Momma? Are you there?"_

_She turned the corner and entered the hallway, walking cautiously to the closed door of her parents bedroom. "Daddy? David? Where is everyone?"_

_She slowly reached for the door knob, turning it and allowing the door to swing slowly open. On the bed lay the figures of her parents, so the girl moved into the room and over to the bed, walking around the right side and climbing up onto the bed. She looked into her mother's lifeless eyes, scared and confused. "Momma? Wake up. Please wake up."_

_She didn't. The girl climbed off the bed and walked around to the other side, shaking her father's shoulder. "Daddy? Momma won't wake up."_

_No answer. She didn't understand. What happened? She backed away as she stared at her father's face. Gently, a hand came down on her shoulder. She jumped, turning and looking up into the kind blue eyes of a man in white. He had long white hair that reached his waist, and he had a familiar, comforting air around him._

_"They're gone Reighn."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"The Shadows got them."_

_"No..."_

_The man shook his head, and, with a sigh, he smiled sadly. "I've come to take care of you."_

_"Who are you?"_

_"My name is Athair..."_

* 

Reighn O'Haire sat up in the bed, red hair flowing around her in a cloud of crimson silk. She blinked back tears as the dream came back. Reaching up, she scrubbed away a few tears that had escaped before rising and moving to the large french doors. She opened them and moved out onto the balcony, looking out over the white sand of the beach off into the deep blue waters of the ocean. The moon hung low on the horizon, covered partially by wisps of clouds. Stars studded the night sky, twinkling at Reighn as she gripped the rail of the balcony and gazed off into the ocean. 

She had not dreamed of that in so long. The day her parents died was something she would like to forget. The day that Athair came into her life and taught her to be what she was today. To use the Power growing inside her and embrace her heritage as the Princess of the Celts. An ancient line of warriors and druids. She wielded the sword that had banished the Dark Lady from the earth once before at her ancestor's hand. The shadows came in force, heeding the wishes of the Lady. And Reighn led the Celts - a dying race - in an ancient battle of good versus evil. 

Magic no longer existed in her world, having been turned into myths and legends. The Celts fought for the safety of the world in a world where magic no longer existed - in a world where people thought the celts were just ancients who wrought stone circles like those at Callanish. 

Reighn blinked suddenly as a pull tugged at her soul... softly at first, and then more urgently. She blinked and stretched her senses, closing her eyes and entering the Web, reaching for the one who was calling out. When she opened her eyes, she was no longer in her body. Her spirit was clad in white doeskin breeches and boots. A white undershirt lay under a soft white doeskin vest, standing out in contrast to the green and white trees surrounding her. She gazed around herself, eyes widening at the sight that she now beheld. 

Bodies littered the ground, and the yellow leaves that had fallen that fall were soaked with the black blood of something evil. She walked forward, stepping carefully through the mess of battle at her feet. Her emerald eyes held a searching look, and she found what she was looking for. Nearly ten yards away stood two men, an Elf and a Dwarf, heads bowed in mourning. Another man was kneeling by something, and, by moving closer, she realized it was the body of a fallen comrade. There was little life left in the man, whose chest and shoulder housed three black shafted arrows. He was pale, and barely breathing. His companions thought he was dead, which he would be soon if he was not healed. Reighn's healing magics were weak at best, but enough heal him enough that they could get him to a house of healing. She moved forward, kneeling down next to the dark haired man and placed a hand on his shoulder. His head snapped up and her looked straight at her. Bathed in shadows he could not see her transparent form, and somehow, the trees around her knew. 

A wind blew, shifting the leaves of the trees overhead, sunlight shining through and dappling her form with its warmth. The man gasped and stared at her, moving backwards in shock. She looked into his eyes for a moment before turning her attention to the fallen warrior. She placed a hand on his chest, moving it softly to one of the arrows. Her fingers wrapped around it deftly and she pulled. The arrow came away from the body and fell to the ground, the blood on it staining the white skin of her spirit red. She moved to the next arrow, proceeding on pulling that one out as well as the third. She gazed at her hands for a long moment before placing them both on the fallen man's chest, beginning to chant. 

Her voice was silent to the other men for a moment, but soon filled the air ghostily, like silver on the wind. She chanted in Gaelic, and old healing spell, one of the few she knew. She continued chanting until the man below her took in a greedy breath of air. His green eyes fluttered open and he stared up at her as she smiled softly. A barrier formed around his mind, shutting out some of the pain he felt and bathing his battered mind in a soft golden glow. She then stood and backed away, allowing the man's companions to either stare at her or move forward to examine the formerly believed dead fellow. 

Reighn nodded to them once before turning and walking away, allowing herself to fade and return to her own body. 

* 

"It seems as though you have a guardian angel Boromir." Aragorn spoke softly as the wounded man stared up at him. 

"Right..." Boromir began, then coughed. "But I'm still bleeding here." 

"Let us get him back to Lothlorien." Legolas said, moving forward. 

"No." Boromir said. "Leave me. You must go after Merry and Pippin." 

"But you'll die!" 

"Then it is a price I must pay." Boromir replied. "You must get them back... I have failed the Fellowship, and now you must correct the wrong I have done... For I cannot do this myself." 

"Boromir - "   


"Go, Aragorn." Boromir cut the other off. "I'll be fine. Just, go." 

"As you wish." Aragorn said sadly before rising and moving to retrieve his weapons. Legolas knelt next to Boromir and spoke quickly. "I will send a message to Lothlorien, telling them you are here." 

"Be safe Legolas." Boromir replied with a small nod. 

Legolas gave a half-hearted smile before rising and following Aragorn and Gimli. Boromir watched them go before he stared up into the canopy of green leaves, sunlight dappling through. What had happened? He remembered pledging loyalty to Aragorn, and then seemingly falling into a sea of soft, white glowing mist. Then he awoke to stare up into the face of a beautiful woman. He could see through her, as if she were not really there and just a spirit. Who was she? 

* 

Reighn opened her eyes to find herself staring into the sunrise... Had she really been gone that long? And who was that man? How could he have had enough power to make a call like that unconsciously - especially through time? She had felt no power in him, it was seemingly nonexistent. She was slightly confused at all of it. 

"Ah, you've returned." 

"Athair?!" 

Reighn spun to stare at the spirit, amazed that he was in the real world and not walking the ley-lines of the Web. "What are you doing here?" 

"There is something you must know Reighn." 

"What?" 

"That man was on a quest - all of them are on a quest. He was to die trying to save the lives of two young Hobbits." Athair explained. "You seemed to have changed the past Reighn." 

"I felt the call Athair. I went to find out what it was. The Web wished me to heal him the best I could." 

"Reighn, your healing abilities are near to nonexistent." Athair said wryly. 

"You aren't here to talk about this are you?" 

"No. I'm not. Reighn, the shadows are moving, you must go after them." 

"Where are they going?" Reign asked. 

"Back in time, to the Third Age of Middle Earth. They are to join an army of evil beings as the Lady makes an alliance with the worst evil Lord the world has ever known." 

"I cannot defeat the Lady on my own Athair." 

"It must be so. You are the only one who can time travel." Athair said. 

"Where do I go once I get there?" 

"Follow the lines to a place called Minas Tirith, there the last battle will take place, and there, you shall confront the Lady." 

"I hate it when your cryptic." 

"I know." 

"Don't mock me." 

"Too late. Now, go." 


	2. Ride On

Author's Notes: I feel so loved! The Little God of Writing visited me today and told be to get off my lazy bum and write. So here I am. A few notes!   
Firstly - I'm back! Isn't that a shocking turn of events. Of all the writing I've done recently, none of it has been truly LOTR related at all.   
Secondly - I may or may not be including the film's insertion of the elves at Helm's Deep. It depends on How Boromir gets there. It may be the only way for me to get him there. 

**Where We Begin**   
_Chapter Two:_

_"... but I can't do this all on my own.. No I'm no - I'm no Superman..."_

_"Get up. Try again."_

_"I can't!"_

_"You can! You must!"_

_"I can't do it!"_

_Tears streamed down the girl's face as she lay on the ground, cuts and bruises lacing over her body. Her clothes were in tatters, and a sword was strapped to her back. The white haired man stood over her, a feirce expression decorating his face._

_"If you cannot do it, then you cannot fight the Shadows."_

_"NO! I will! I just need time!"_

_"You don't have time."_

_The girl rolled over and lifted herself up slightly with a grunt, struggling to stand. She stumbled to her feet as the man watched, she turned a stubborn expression to the rocky clifs above her and began to climb._

* 

Reighn blinked back tears of pain as it seared through her. The gate was tearing at her, ripping her flesh and soul alike in something akin to being sliced into ribbons one agonizing hit at a time. She could feel her skin tearing under the unbelieveable pressure and she knew. She knew that something did not want her to enter Middle-Earth. She knew it from the very heart of her being. Yet, she would not let it tear her asunder. She had a mission to complete, one that she could not fail, she had to complete it, she didn't know why, but she would. A flash of light coloured the backs of her eyelids with white dots as she fell out of the portal to the leaf covered ground below her. She took a deep breath a struggled to her hands and knees, dry-heaving before finally decorating the forest floor with the contents of her stomach. 

She hated traveling by portal. It was one of the worst experiences of her life. She rose to her feet and looked around, finding herself in the clearing where she'd been earlier that day. She was clad in tan doeskin boots, breeches and vest, a white undershirt, her hair pulled back in a braid and a tan cord wrapped around in from the end to the base of her neck. A quiver was strapped to her back, a longbow with intricate knots carved into it rested a few feet away where it had rolled to after she'd dropped it. The sword Athair was strapped to her waist, gleaming white-silver in the dappled sunlight. 

With a sigh Reighn retrieved her bow, slung it across her back and turned to leave, stopping in her tracks at the sight that met her emerald eyes. At the edge of the clearing was a gleaming palomino mare, her honeyed coat dappled with sunlight as her silver mane and tail were ruffled in the wind that moved through the trees. Intelligent brown eyes watched Reighn for a moment before the mare moved forward, her elegant lines showing. The mare stopped just in front of Reighn and reached forward, bumping her nose against Reighn's arm. Reighn reached up and scratched the mare between the ears as a smile graced her lips. This was one of the Maeras, the kings and queens of horses, merely legends in the future. 

"And what is your name?" Reighn asked softly. Looking into the mare's eyes for what seemed like an eternity, which was actually only moments. "Sunfire? It fits you. You want me to ride you, don't you?" 

The mare bobbed her head in the affirmative before turning and looking back at Reighn pointedly. The Sorceress laughed and quickly mounted the horse. She wove her fingers into the mare's silky mane and they were off. Reighn watched the trees flash past as Sunfire manuvered around trees over logs and over bushes. The mare seemed to know where she was going, which was a lot more that Reighn could say for herself. She would let the mare guide her to wherever it was that she was needed, be it in battle or no. 

* 

When he woke, it took Boromir a few minutes to orient himself, then another moment to remember where he was and how he'd gotten there. In all respects he should have died at Amon Hen, he shouldn't have found himself in Lothlorien over half healed three days later and feeling good enough to head out after the Fellowship. He rose and pulled on his boots and tunic before moving out of his room while buckling on his belt. He'd left his armor behind, since he honestly wasn't going anywhere until Galadriel said he could, and he wouldn't argue. 

However, Boromir felt that she should have left the moment he could walk without falling over. His allegeance didn't come cheaply, and he'd pledged his to Aragorn, to true King of Gondor, and he would keep that promise. He was still rather confused on the whole. He should have very well been dead, yet when he'd opened his eyes he wasn't in hell, he was staring up at an angel, who seemed to be literally glowing. He didn't know who she was but he was pretty sure Galadriel could tell him. 

Walking down the steps that led to the forest floor from the House of Healing wasn't that diffucult, and finding Galadriel was a matter of asking a startled Elf where she was. When he descended the steps into a small clearing the golden haired elf was pouring a pitcher of water into a bowl of some sort. She turned her penetrating eyes to him and a slightly smile graced her features. 

"Will you look into the mirror, Boromir, son of Denethor?" 

"What will I see?" 

Her smile grew slightly at the cautious question that she remembered a small Hobbit asking her only days before. "Things that were, things that are, and some things, that have not yet come to pass." 

Boromir didn't really know how to reply to that, so he stepped forward and looked down into the glassy water. The water shifted and he found himself watching the end of the council at Rivendell, Moria, Lorien and Amon Hen. He watched at the woman who had saved his life came seemingly out of nowhere before she chanted something in a language he truly didn't recognize and then she vanished. Moments later she was standing in the clearing again, Orc bodies scattered about but there was no other sign of life. He watched her mount a golden colored horse and head off in the direction that Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli had gone - toward Rohan. The images blurred into the woman and himself standing in the gates of Minas Tirith, covered in grime, both holding swords. Then it flashed to watching a confrontation between the red-haired woman and a shadow enshrouded witch. In the end, the red-haired princess died. 

He pulled away from the mirror and looked up at the Elf-Queen with wide and confused eyes. Galadriel simly smiled. "She is from a place far from here, and you will meet with her again. Whether or not she dies, will be up to you. Should you leave now, you will make it to the Fellowship in time to make a difference, should you not..." Galadriel trailed off, before speaking in a clearer tone. "Dark times follow you and those you follow, be wary." 

Boromir simply nodded before turning to collect his things and leave. 


End file.
